EMI Newsletter

3.1. EMI/ENEL Debate on the Future of low carbon technologies
3.2. The EP AGORA: A Successful Marketplace of Opinions?
3.3. EU With YOU 1957–2007 : 50th Anniversary Of The Rome Treaty 3.4. European Movement International and the EU-Russia Centre
3.5. Visit of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb to the Quai d'Orsay
3.6. Plan D Conference on 7/8/9 December
3.7. Pat Cox in Romania, launching the first EP elections campaign

3. News from the EMI

4.1. EM Belgium / "DISCOVER EUROPE: Lithuania"
4.2. EM Denmark / Your Europe: A road trip throughout Denmark
4.3. EM Finland / Speak up Europe in Kokkola
4.4. EM Iceland / ELEC Switzerland / Conference on EFTA-EU Relations
4.5. EM Serbia / European Village
4.6. EM United Kingdom / Seminar "What does the Reform Treaty really say?"
4.7. ELDR / ELDR Congress re-elects Annemie Neyts as President
4.8. ELEC / Symposium on energy and upcoming meeting of the Monetary Commission
4.9. UEF / Call for tender - UEF Website platform

4. News from our members

5. Calendar

29th November 2007
EMI/ENEL Debate on the Future of low carbon technologies

7-9 December 2007
Plan D Citizens' Projects Concluding Conference

7-9 December 2007
Secretaries General Meeting

16 December 2007
Federal Council Plenary Session

Full text follows.

1. Editorial

Dear friends,

We have been drafting new treaties for more than 20 years now - the Single European Act, the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Treaty of Nice and now the Reform Treaty. It is no wonder that European citizens might feel slightly overwhelmed – and even neglected or abandoned.

The new Treaty might well have a longer lifespan than its predecessors. This would mean a pause from the eternal theoretical talks about the structure of the Union. This is a challenge for the European Movement: it is time to start dealing with the real-life policy questions.

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I would like to see the European Movement choose some of the most important issues the continent is facing, and agree on a coherent line. We can make Europe a better place within the existing rules.

According to surveys, people are most interested in their rights as EU citizens and are not that keen on the processes. Focusing on concrete policies - and involving people in this - is needed if we want the European Union to have the support of its citizens.

The task is the following: we need to involve people in the normal policy-making of the European Union, not only in the reform processes via e.g. referenda. This means more action both from the governments and from the civil society organisations – we, the European Movement, have a big role to play in this game.

The European Movement has to take the lead: to introduce new ideas to involve citizens and NGOs and open a permanent dialogue with the EU bodies. How to make the budget debate understandable to citizens? What to do to prevent or at least slow down climate change? How to take care of the elderly with a shrinking work-age population?

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Finally, I would like to send you some greetings from Finland. This autumn - one year after our Council presidency - has been very difficult for Finnish friends of the European project. The news we received from Brussels, especially regarding the CAP, have been met with deep disappointment.

Firstly, the Commission proposal to limit sugar production led to very tight limits in Finland. From the Finnish perspective, the new reductions did not take account of our earlier reductions and thus unfairly punished Finnish producers. This may well be the end of indigenous sugar production in Finland – and has turned the public opinion quite severely against the Commission and the EU in general. The common reasoning is that Finland has always believed in honesty and hard work, and the people feel this is being used against us.

The Finnish EU policy has always been to support the institutions, and especially the Commission. We’ve been counted as one of the advocates of ever-deeper integration. Now the whole political leadership, including even the Prime Minister, is saying Finland must reconsider its EU policy.

This negative, one might even say hostile, feeling is a new turn in the Finnish EU discussion, and might benefit Euro sceptic candidates in the European Parliament elections in 2009. Hopefully there will be no more unwelcome surprises from Brussels, since we need a serious effort to turn the EU debate on a more constructive track again. The European Movement in Finland is going to do its best.

Miapetra KUMPULA-NATRI, President of EM in Finland - Member of the Parliament of Finland

[back to the EU Agenda]

2. EU Agenda

2.1. Agora on 8/9 November in the European Parliament

The European Parliament, led by its Vice President, Gerard Onesta, will be launching an AGORA on 8 & 9 November 2007. The aim of this event will be to establish a permanent dialogue with the European Civil society organizations on different subjects. The theme of the meeting in November will be ‘New Treaties, Challenges, Opportunities and Tools’. Over 500 representatives of Civil Society are expected to participate.

For more information, click here.

- European Movement: Citizens challenge the EU political leaders - A new design for better results!

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2.2 Public Consultation "Adapting to Climate Change in Europe"

The Green Paper “Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action” adopted by the Commission on 29 June underlines that climate change is inevitable. A limitation on the production of greenhouse gases will limit its consequences and hopefully contain global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, but even then Europe will have to anticipate on considerable changes in the living environment of its population. Northern Europe will get wetter, Mediterranean Europe will get dryer, the sea level will rise and glaciers will melt. All of this has consequences for social and economical life in Europe, and of course for civil society.

Adaptation to these effects is described as incorporating elements to anticipate on climate changes in all Union policies. A multilevel approach is proposed which includes national and regional strategies, Community and individual measures, which all may be anticipatory or reactive. The Green Paper explicitly sets out a four-action approach at the Community level:

Early action in areas from agriculture to trade that are backed by EU policies and available Community funds.
Integration of adaptation into existing EU external actions, in particular its promotion in developing countries.
Intensified climate research, in particular on the impacts of global warming, and technological innovation
Involving all segments of society, business and the public in the further development of adaptation strategies.

To provoke dialogue and discussion on the Green Paper the Commission set up a web-based public consultation open until 30 November 2007. In this consultation an opinion can be given on questions concerning the key issues of the Green Paper. Furthermore the Green Paper proposes to set up a “European Advisory Group on Adaption” involving representative policy-makers, leading scientists and civil society organisations.

Link to consultation: Please click here.

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[back to the EU Agenda]

2.3. Public Consultation on Multilinguism

Towards a new strategy: consultation on multilingualism

The principle ‘’unity in diversity’’ is a reality in the EU. Not only does the EU show respect to linguistic diversity-23 official languages as well as regional and minority languages are spoken by the EU population- it also promotes multilingualism by encouraging its citizens to learn other European languages. Even if the percentages vary among the members states-99% of Luxemburgers can speak at least a second European language, while 64% of the Portuguese master only their mother tongue - half of the EU citizens state that they have a good conversional level in a foreign language. The EU, however, has set eyes on a more ambitious goal by inserting into its language policy the target of ‘’Mother-tongue plus two’’, which apart from presenting the EU citizens with an interesting challenge, would boost professional and personal mobility within the member states.

In the framework of multilingualism, the European Commission has lately launched an on-line consultation in order to receive ideas and feedback from a wide range of people and take them into consideration. The consultation is simple and consists in a questionnaire to be filled on-line, while the overall consultation process will assist the European Commission in the adoption of a Communication about languages in 2008. Deadline to participate in this consultation is 15 November.

Link to consultation website on multilingualism, please click here.

For more details on the EU language policy, please click here.

For more details on multilingualism, please click here.

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[back to the EU Agenda]

3.News from the EMI

3.1. European Movement organises a Debate with ENEL

The European Movement is organising a debate on the future of low carbon technologies on 29 November from 17.30 to 19.00 in Brussels. This event is co-organised by Italy's largest power company, ENEL, and benefits from the media support of Euractiv.

High-levels specialists will give a speech, including Stephan Singer, Head of Energy Policy Unit, WWF Europe, Christian Egenhofer, Senior Fellow and Jean Monnet Lecturer, CEPS, as well as Stavros Dimas (tbc) and a MEP.

For more information or if you wish to register, please click here.

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3.2. The EP AGORA: A Successful Marketplace of Opinions?

Citizens’ Agora on the future of Europe on 8-9 November 2007

On invitation of the EP, over 350 delegates from the European Civil Society attended 2 Plenary Sessions and 5 workshops to discuss different aspects of the new Reform Treaty. Topics of the workshops were: New topics and new solidarity; New rights; New tools; Geo-political role; Institutional compromise.

The workshops produced defined common positions linked to the upcoming Reform Treaty worked out by the Civil Society delegations on their own. The President of the Agora – MEP Gérard Onesta – concluded that these positions and recommendations would be seen by the European Parliament as a vital contribution to their discussions and positions on the Reform Treaty.

Henrik H. Kröner, EMI Secretary General, who moderated the first Plenary Session, highlighted the “remarkable and high-quality discussions, which we hope to learn from for future Agoras”.

Can this AGORA be viewed as a success? Only time will tell, as the Agora – as “a marketplace of different opinions” – is another but new tool of European participative democracy.

For more information on the AGORA, visit the EP's Agora website.

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3.3. EU with YOU 1957–2007: 50th Anniversary of the Rome Treaty

ITALY 29/30/31 October 2007

29th October: Piazza del Campidoglio

Rome, 29th October, together with the event “50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome: the European Parliament and European citizens, the role of young people and school" (9.30 am - 1.30 pm) organised by ANCEI - Exhibition on the European Union and guided tours, at Piazza del Campidoglio

29th–31st October: Main office of CIDE, Via Quattro Novembre, 149

Rome, 29th – 31st October, at the main office of CIDE, Via Quattro Novembre, 149, (Mon and Wed, 9.30 am – 1 pm | Tue, 10 am – 4 pm) - Historical exhibition on the events that gave birth to the European Communities: 1948 - 1957.

30th October: Senate, main hall, former hotel Bologna

Rome, 30th October 2007, at the Senate, main hall, former hotel Bologna, Via di Santa Chiara, 5 (6 pm)Public conferenceIn memory of Professor Gian Piero OrselloVice President of CIME and former Secretary-General of the European Movement International - “After Lisbon, agenda and means to relaunch the constitutional process”

For more information about the project EU with YOU, please contact Charles Kleinermann or visit our website.

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3.4. European Movement International and the EU-Russia Centre

Conference: “EU and Russia: Friends or Rivals?” Brussels, the 17 October 2007

The EU-Russia Centre, The European Movement International, The Hans Seidel Stiftung, The East West Institute and The European Policy Centre invite you to the conference “EU and Russia: Friends or Rivals?”, please find attached the press release.

For more information about the EU-Russia Centre, please visit their website or contact Charles Kleinermann.

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3.5. Visit of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb to the Quai d'Orsay

Mr Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb, President of the EMI working group “European Neighborhood and Euro Mediterranean relations”, went to Paris on 22 October 2007 in order to discuss with the French Ministry of foreign affairs the political project of Nicolas Sarkozy called the “Mediterranean Union”. For more information on the “Mediterranean Union” please contact Charles Kleinermann.

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3.6. Plan D Conference on 7/8/9 December

Plan D Citizens' Projects Concluding Conference

Two hundred and fifty EU citizens from all walks of life, together with fifty media and policy experts, will gather on 7-9 December in Brussels to draw the very substance from the six EU-wide participatory democracy projects co-funded by the European commission in 2006 and 2007. They will debate on the major concerns that have emerged from all six projects and come up with a single set of conclusions which they will have the opportunity to present to a panel of decision-makers.

The purpose of this event is to draw on the experience gained from the six "Plan D" pan-European citizen's projects co-funded by the European commission in 2006-7, increase public awareness of the conclusions of these projects and explore ways of:

1) increasing voter participation in the June 2009 European elections;

2) perpetuating cross-border meetings of citizens and civil society events on a regular basis

3) and communicating during the process of the Reform Treaty ratification.

The event will be structured around three themes:The human aspects of globalisation; enlargement, political integration and EU citizenship; and the EU's role on the world stage.

The participants will debate on each of these themes in three workshops per theme. On the final day, they will put their questions/demands to a panel of decision-makers (members of the EU institutions, representatives of national governments, etc.) and media representatives. The results of this event will feed the European commission's reflection on how to make "dialogue, democracy and debate" a permanent feature of democracy at EU-level.

Theme 1: The human aspects of globalisation

The citizens who took part in the six projects feel that the national authorities have been overtaken by globalisation. They are looking to the EU to help them become active citizens in the new global world but they need to see more clearly what the EU has to offer in this respect.

They would like to know what European citizenship entails in practice. They want it to rest on concrete social, economic, civil and human rights. They expect the EU to deliver - not just protect their present rights but improve them by adapting them to free circulation in the EU and to the global world, e.g. in areas like childcare, health care, equality between women and men, equality of non-traditional family models, comparability and accessibility of the national welfare systems of the EU member countries.

The citizens extended their reflection to non-EU citizens wishing to live and work in the EU: how should EU member countries welcome them and under what conditions should they be granted national/EU citizenship?

This theme will be addressed from three angles:

1) Workshop I.1: "Towards a new European social model?" - Social rights are in essence national. Can the EU help its member countries maintain existing social rights, apply the EU charter of fundamental rights which integrates social, economic, civil and human rights and further develop those rights?

2) Workshop I.2: "Migration – a European approach?" - Migration is typically an issue that should be addressed at international rather than national level. Can the EU develop a common approach to this often tragic dimension of globalisation? Based on what values?

3) Workshop I.3: Education in the face of globalisation – should EU citizenship begin at school? In order to make the most of the opportunities offered by the EU and to recover some influence on the issues which are now addressed by the EU institutions, people need to know how the EU works and what rights they have at EU level, on top of their national citizenship.

Theme 2: Enlargement, political integration and EU citizenship

In recent times, the EU has considerably grown geographically and deepened politically. In this context, the citizens' consultations have revealed a quest for identity and for a sense of belonging. Some fear that their cultural identity and personal freedom – democracy itself - might be threatened by the emergence both of multicultural societies and of an extra layer of governance – the European level.

The notion of citizenship should be enriched and the EU should encourage the development of civil society especially in the new member countries and at European level. In the meantime, should the EU continue to expand? Should it be entrusted with responsibility for new policy areas? Should it not focus on what it can do better than the national governments? How can citizens monitor and influence the EU decision-making process? How can they have a say on crucial issues such as enlargement?

This theme will be addressed from the following angles:

1) Workshop II.1: Enlargement and deepening of the EU- how can member countries and the EU create a new sense of belonging? Political integration and geographical expansion are taking place simultaneously. This puts a lot of strain on people's cultural and political identity. How can the EU meet those concerns so that people feel that living in such a vast and complex entity as the European Union is an asset rather than a disadvantage? How can the EU develop without destroying the landmarks that people have at local, regional and national level?

2) Workshop II.2: How can citizens get better involved in policy-making? The consultation has revealed a quest for more transparency and more citizen consultations, more direct communication with the EU institutions, EU-wide referenda, etc. The European commission is experimenting ways of consulting civil society. The Reform Treaty both strengthens the European parliament and introduces participatory democracy. What form should citizens' consultation take in the future? How can citizens take ownership of the European parliament and therefore participate more in the European parliament elections?

3) Workshop II.3: In which areas can the EU be more efficient than national governments? People sense that it can be more efficient in dealing with certain cross-border issues such as climate change, energy, trade but also migration and justice and home affairs. A new distribution of tasks is needed between the different levels of governance, from local to global. However, more efficient does not necessarily mean more democratic. The old debate on "subsidiarity" needs to be relaunched but in a novel and more concrete way, taking into account the concerns of citizens and the role of civil society.

Theme 3: The EU's role on the world stage

The citizens' consultations confirm that people are very much aware of the relationship between domestic and global issues. They realise that the EU can have an influence and even exert leadership in some areas on the world stage, so long as member countries speak with one voice.

They think it is particularly desirable that the EU assert itself in the face of global challenges such as climate change, regional conflicts, terrorist acts, international trade and the North-South divide. But to speak with one voice, member countries have to agree on the role they want the EU to play on the world stage. The majority of citizens consulted want the EU to be an actor of peace which favours development and security. They want foreign policy to be dealt with by majority voting in the EU council of ministers.

The three sub-themes will be:

1) Workshop III.1: What role for the EU on the world stage – a future superpower or an actor of peace, security and development? People see the EU as an opportunity to have an impact on the world stage and recover some control over global issues. They want the EU to protect them and at the same time to be an actor of peace and development. It is important to go deeper into this debate and find out more about their fundamental perception of the EU – hard power or soft power?

2) Workshop III.2: Speaking with one voice on global issues such as trade, energy and the environment- how can this single voice reflect the voice of the citizens?Speaking with one voice but what kind of voice and to say what? The EU is an original political set-up but does it have something original to say on the world stage? How can citizens contribute to forging that single voice?

3) Workshop III.3: EU development aid- can the EU use it to tackle the root problems of poverty and migration? Citizens are aware of the magnitude of EU development aid but they question its purpose. To what extent can development aid be articulated with other policies to address issues such as migration and sustainable development? How can civil society in the EU and in the receiving countries be better associated with the way EU development aid is used?

DOWNLOAD PROGRAMME

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3.7. Pat Cox in Romania, launching the first EP elections campaign

Following an invitation from European Movement Romania, the President of the European Movement, Pat Cox, and the Secretary General, Henrik H. Kröner, visited Romania from 24 to 27 October. During their stay they met with the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr Calin Tariceanu, with the Presidents of the main political parties in Romania (Socialist, Democratic and Liberal parties), members of the European Affairs Committee in the Parliament, students of Bucharest University and of the Police Academy, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture and representatives of the agricultural sector (Farmers’ Union, Secretary General of the Agricultural Ministry).Pat Cox spoke about the strengths of EM Romania (EMR) and the importance of establishing strong ties between Romanian civil society organisations and Romanian political establishment.

A request was made to hold a parallel session in Romania in the framework of the 60th anniversary of the Congress of The Hague in May 2008. Support has been found for this initiative. The visit coincided with the launching of the campaign for the European Parliament elections in Romania. Pat Cox explained the role of the European Parliament and the importance of the votes of Romanian citizens. Indeed, Romania, previously a “law taker”, has now become a “law maker”, with its MEPs on the same footing as those of other Member States.

At a seminar on agricultural issues, Pat Cox spoke to the representatives of this sector and stressed the importance of being well-organised and cultivating strong ties with the agriculture lobbies in Brussels. The EU’s role is one of solidarity, and today it is there to help Romania carry out the social and structural reforms it needs to modernise its economy. Indeed, over 40% of the Romanian population is currently employed in the agricultural sector. Pat Cox was confident that the EU structural funds would be paid to Romania once the country met all the necessary conditions. Several press conferences, lunches and individual interviews were organised, resulting in a large press coverage in the Romanian media.

Contact: Mircea Constantinescu, President of EM Romania

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4. News from our members

4.1. EM Belgium

“DISCOVER EUROPE: Lithuania”

On the 17th of October, the European Movement Belgium organised a cultural evening, this time in cooperation with the Lithuanian embassy. After a presentation about the country by H.E. Ambassador Mrs Nijolé ŽAMBAITé, the public enjoyed the short film “Existence”, winner at the festival “Les Lutins du Court Métrage”. There was also a presentation of Lithuanian comic designs about Lithuanian history and culture. The evening ended with a reception with various typical drinks and finger food from Lithuania. You can take a look at the pictures at www.mouvement-europeen.be

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‘DESTINATION EUROPE: 16-18 November’

Between the 16th to 18th November, around sixty youngsters (16-18 year) will take part in the weekend “Destination Europe” organised by the European Movement Belgium. This weekend is part of a project that aims to teach young students more about Europe in an interactive, fun and educational way. Through discussion groups, meetings with European Deputies, expositions, animation and lectures, the youngsters will get a clearer view on what Europe is, how it works and what role it plays in their lives. This time the weekend is bilingual (Dutch and French) and will take place in Brussels. The students who participate will be invited later this year to join a trip to Strasbourg and Luxemburg to visit the European Institutions there. There are still some places left. All information and registration details are online at www.mouvement-europeen.be

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4.2. EM Denmark

Your Europe: A road trip throughout Denmark

From the 17th to the 21st of September, the Danish European Movement held one day Europe seminars for more than a thousand high school students throughout Denmark. During this day the students learned about EU history and institutions from representatives of the European Parliament and the European Commission to make the institutions seem less distant to them. Afterwards working groups dealing with the following subjects were held; environment, energy, the Single Market, immigration, Neighbourhood Policy and legal and internal affairs (terror). Hereafter the students wrote newspaper letters.

Every seminar ended with a panel debate with local industry representatives and local, national and European politicians.The students got very much engaged in the seminars and participated actively in the working groups as well as the debate. The students also wrote very good letters, which might have been encouraged by the fact that they could win a trip to Brussels.

It turns out that four myths prevail among Danish citizens and need more emphasis from pro-European organisations working to inform people:

1) The EU does not damage the Danish environment because of lower standards.
2) Without EU agricultural support, there would be national support, other countries also support their farmers.
3) Without common trade tariffs, there would be national trade tariffs, other countries also have tariffs.
4) Turkey is in many ways more secular than Denmark (we have a state church).

The overall conclusion of the project, which was also supported by the letters, the videos and the website debate forum, is that the students feel they know too little about the EU. They know that European cooperation has a large impact on their daily lives, but they do not know enough about it and this makes them perceive the EU as distant and irrelevant. More theme days, more education and more political focus on the European level would strengthen the debate about our common future.

The project, mainly funded by the European Commission, was successfully carried out and will hopefully be repeated in 2008. Videos, letters and educational material are online at www.eubev.dk/projekt/dit_europa/da (in Danish).

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4.3. EM Finland

Speak up Europe in Kokkola

A discussion event on climate and energy politics was held in the city of Kokkola in Western Finland on 1st October. The keynote speakers were the climate policy specialist in the Prime Minister’s Office, MP Oras Tynkkynen and Environmental Manager Kai Nykänen from the mining company Boliden.

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MEPs on tour in Finland

The MEPs at Your Service events were launched on 19th October, as the Finnish MEPs Riitta Myller and Hannu Takkula visited Mikkeli in Eastern Finland. Pupils of the local grammar school interviewed the MEPs about their work and political opinions. Later the same day services in the EU were discussed in a public event. The next events, held on 31st October and 1st November in the cities Tampere and Jyväskylä, will be featured by the MEPs Satu Hassi, Alexander Stubb, Eija-Riitta Korhola and Hannu Takkula.

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Seminars

The parliamentary elections in Poland and the Polish EU politics were discussed in a lunch-time seminar arranged by EM Finland together with the think tank E2. The discussion was keynoted by the Finnish Ambassador to Poland, Jan Store, Professor Esko Antola and Senior Advisor Stefan Widomski.The role and the power of influence of the EU in the United Nations will be discussed in a seminar arranged together with the Finnish Parliament, The Finnish UN Association and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The event will be held on 9th November with Richard Gowan of the New York University as the keynote speaker. On 17th December, the themes of the Portuguese presidency will be discussed in the EU De-Briefing organised in cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. The event will continue the tradition of EM Finland to have a seminar at the beginning and at the end of each EU Presidency.

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Discussing the Reform Treaty

EM Finland has been actively involved in the discussion concerning the EU Reform Treaty. “The role of Finnish NGOs in the Reform process has been far too small. The Treaty is not ready and the discussion must go on” commented the Secretary General of EM Finland, Lauri Tierala, in a discussion event arranged by Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in September. Also several guest articles, in the spirit of the resolution adopted in the Federal Council in Berlin on the 30th of June, have been published in Finnish newspapers.

Contact: Piretta Pietila

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4.4. EM Iceland

Andrés Pétursson, the chairman of the National Council of the European Movement in Iceland, has been invited to Switzerland, to give a speech on the Perspectives and Options of EFTA Countries in European Integration at the “EFTA-EU Relations”conference.

The first emphasis will be on discussing the adoption versus the autonomous reproduction of European Law without the right to a voice in decision-making, but only in decision-shaping. The second emphasis will be on future options and perspectives in European integration. What are the chances of membership in the enlarged EU? Could there even be a possibility of a joint membership application within the next decade? The Conference will provide a platform to meet representatives of all EFTA countries. In addition to ELEC members, diplomats, researchers, students, journalists and representatives of regional and national authorities will be invited. Ideally the conference should be free of charge for participants.

The “EFTA-EU Relations” Conference will be held on 30 November 2007 at 9.15am in the World Trade Institute, Hallerstrasse 6, Bern, Switzerland.

Contact: Andrés Pétursson

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4.5. EM Serbia

European Village

In response to the problem of a general lack of information among the rural population about the EU, and the fact that farmers are the social group with the potentially highest percentage of EU skeptics in Serbia, EMinS initiated a project called “European village”.

The main activity of the project is a seven day long study trip to Poland for 20 young farmers, who were the winners of an open contest between the 12th and 30th October 2007.

Link - Please click here.

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Foreign Policy Creation

The Forum of International Relations of the European Movement in Serbia has organized a debate called “Foreign policy creation: institutional and non-institutional factors” on October 17th 2007.

The objective of the debate was to have some questions answered publicly: Which institutional and non-institutional factors influence the process of creation of the Serbian foreign policy? What is the importance of political party elites in formulation of foreign policy priorities? What is the relation between Serbia and some key factors of contemporary international relations like the European Union, NATO, the Russian Federation and the United States of America?

The introductory speeches were delivered by Mr. Zivorad Kovacevic, President of the European Movement in Serbia, Mr Jovan Teokarevic, PhD of the Faculty of Political Sciences, Mr. Dusan Lazic, member of the Forum of International Relations and Mr. Pavle Jankovic, Manager of the ISAC fund. The moderator was Mr. Ivo Viskovic, President of the Forum of International Relations.

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Welcome to Germany

The project “Welcome to Germany” for high school students continues in cooperation between the German Embassy, the German Organization for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the European Movement in Serbia. An additional eighteen students who are participants of the programme “Conflict transformation and strengthening of youth in Serbia” went to Germany on October 21st 2007. The one week programme consists of seminars, workshops and excursions in order to learn more about German culture and society.

During the first project phase, 58 students and 36 high school students visited Germany. In December one more group of students will visit Germany under the project “Reforms of secondary vocational education in Serbia”.

Link: www.dobrodosliunemacku.org

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National Convention on the EU

The project “National Convention on the EU” (NC EU) in Serbia has continued its work from October. The third session of the working group “Political conditionality and domestic institutions”, was held on October 11th 2007 at the conference room in the House of Parliament of the Republic of Serbia. The topic of the third session was: "Political elites/parties in Serbia in the EU integration process", with Dr Slaviša Orlovic, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade as Guest Speaker. The third session of the working group “Agriculture” was held on October 2nd 2007 at the conference room in the House of Parliament of the Republic of Serbia. The topic of third session was: "Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) – Funds dedicated to agriculture". Guest speakers were Mrs. Rose Abot Bugarcic, IPA coordinator of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, and Mr. Ognjen Miric National coordinator for IPA of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia. The fourth session of the working group “Regional Cooperation” will be held on October 26th, in the Regional Centre for Professional Development in Nis, and the topic for this session will be “Bilateral relations with neighbour countries”. NCEU is a project which aims to establish better communication between the state and non-state sector related to EU integration process.

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School of European integration for Belgrade high school students

The European Movement in Serbia has started with the implementation of its new project “It rings for Europe!” The aim of this project is to inform groups of high school students from one of Belgrade’s central municipalities about the values, structure, history, youth policy and lifestyle of the EU. Raising awareness about the necessity of joining the EU and taking an active role in that process is another aim of the project. The project consists of a few activities such as two months of lectures, visits to state institutions and discussions with their officials and representatives of the local community, as well as writing and publishing an essay concerning the student’s view of the EU.

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4.6. EM United Kingdom

A successful seminar was held in Birmingham on 20 October on the subject "What does the Reform Treaty really say?"

Richard Laming, Secretary of the European Movement, introduced the discussion by describing the process that led to the Reform Treaty and explaining its main features. There were no substantial changes to the powers of the European Union, nor to the role of the member states within it, he said. The most important changes were those which enhanced the role of elected parliaments - national and European - within the decision-making process.

The second speaker was Brendan Donnelly, Director of the Federal Trust. He explained how the EU's foreign policy mechanisms would become more effective and coherent under the Reform Treaty, and he expressed regret that the changes to foreign policy had not gone further. As to the overall treaty itself, he said that the primary motivation for most people seemed to be their views of the EU as a whole, rather than the treaty in particular.

The final speaker concurred with this sentiment. Stephen Haseler, professor of government at London Metropolitan University, put the treaty process into a broader political context, explaining how Europe had become a divisive factor in British politics and complaining that many who considered themselves pro-Europeans had run away from the arguments.

As one might expect, there was a lively debate following (and during) the speeches, with many members of the audience taking the opportunity to speak up about Europe.

Peter Luff, Chairman of the European Movement, summarised his concerns about the state of the debate. The government is playing with eleven men in goal, he said. We need a more ambitious approach than this if we are to win the case for Europe in Britain.

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4.7. ELDR

ELDR Congress re-elects Annemie Neyts as President

The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party’s (ELDR) President Annemie Neyts has been re-elected as President of the ELDR for a further two years. In closing remarks to ELDR national member parties on the final day of the party’s annual congress, hosted by the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) in Berlin (18 to 19 October), she said that the ELDR would do its best to “unite our member parties behind a number of common themes” ahead of the next European Parliament elections. Also elected to the ELDR’s Bureau were MP Markus Löning (FDP, Germany), MP Kristiina Ojuland (Reform Party, Estonia), deputy mayor of Rotterdam Jeanette Baljeu and Wilfried Derksen (D66, Netherlands).

Following the agreement by EU member states to a new EU treaty in the early hours of 19 October, Neyts called for the text to be “pushed through ratification as soon as possible so that it can be ready for the European Parliament elections in 2009”. She also said that “the European Union can ill afford to retreat from the world, because the world has really become a village, a village with some very messy quarters. And those quarters intrude upon us, even when we would prefer to look the other way”.

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4.8. ELEC

Symposium on energy and upcoming meeting of the Monetary Commission

On October 9, the French section of ELEC organized in Paris, together with the Fondation Singer-Polignac, a full-day symposium on "Energy, key to Europe's future?". Over a hundred participants, including many French members of ELEC and delegations from ELEC in Belgium, Germany and Italy, attended this event. The morning panel, chaired by Jacques Lesourne, Professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, consisted of 8 experts who discussed various aspects of the general topic "The geostrategy of energy". This included a critical examination by Marcel Boiteux, former President of EDF, of possible future energy sources. In the afternoon another panel of 8 experts, chaired by Philippe Manière, Director General of the Institut Montaigne, dealt with the subject "Energy and the environment" and included presentations of Japan's response to this challenge and of the EU's capacity to follow a sustainable energy policy.

The symposium was concluded with a speech by Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister and Mayor of Bordeaux. The proceedings of this conference will be published at a later date by the Fondation Singer-Polignac.The forthcoming meeting of ELEC's Monetary Commission at the Schlosshotel in Kronberg on 15 and 16 November will be attended by participants from 13 countries and feature as speakers Pervenche Berès, Chairwoman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs in the European Parliament, Klaus Gretschmann, Director General at the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, Quentin Peel, International Affairs Editor with the Financial Times, Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, and Eddy Wymeersch, Chairman of the Committee of European Securities Regulators.

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4.9. UEF

Call for tender – UEF website platform

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is inviting you to submit a bid for the development of a new federalist website platform. The deadline for submissions of offers is the 07th November 2007 at 12h. For more information, please click here.

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UEF Secretariat Brussels - European voluntary service call

The UEF Secretariat is looking for an EVS volunteer to stay with us for the period of January - June 2008. For more information concerning the position, please click here. Submit your CV and letter of motivation before the end of October.

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UEF Federal Committee in Prague, 10 -11 November 2007

We have the pleasure of announcing that the next meeting of the UEF FC will take place in Prague on 10-11 November 2007. The FC will be preceded by a seminar on “Social Dimension and Quality of Life in the European Union”. For more information, please visit www.federaleurope.org.

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